C3 Jing Cheng!

Yem Xi didn't spare them a glance. With a press of the accelerator, her car sped off, kicking up a cloud of yellow sand.

The driver was left in shock. "What the..."

Hsu Lirong, fuming with anger, stomped her foot. "Come on, get down! We're going after her!"

Nestled behind a verdant bamboo forest halfway up the hillside was a quaint courtyard with red bricks and green tiles. The courtyard appeared simple but was maintained with a neat and tasteful elegance. A lotus pond lay at its forefront, with an arched bridge leading to the courtyard gate. The corners of the walls were adorned with a variety of flowers and plants, their fragrance wafting through the air, dispelling the summer heat.

Beneath the intricately carved eaves, there was a rattan chair, on which a young man appeared to be taking a nap with a book over his face.

Soon after, the courtyard door was pushed open from the outside, and a loud, clear voice announced, "Boss, we've got trouble! Miss Yem Xi was cornered at the door and has now taken off on a motorcycle..."

Xu Yu, flustered as a startled rooster, dashed across the arch bridge and made a beeline for the person in the rattan chair.

Despite the commotion, the young man on the chair remained motionless, seemingly oblivious to the racket.

"Boss?" Xu Yu ventured, gingerly lifting the book from the young man's face, only to meet a pair of sharp, icy eyes.

"Keep up that racket and you can get lost," came a voice as frosty as the rest.

Xu Yu, holding the book, retreated to the side, looking as meek as a quail.

The young man raised his hand, his long, pale fingers gently pressing against his temples. His thick lashes cast a soft shadow below. A few seconds later, he rose from the rattan chair.

His tall frame unfolded to reveal a height of 1.85 meters. The simplicity of his white shirt and black pants only accentuated an air of effortless nonchalance.

Xu Yu stole a covert glance and suddenly understood why the elite of the capital were so besotted with their boss.

"What happened with Yem Xi?" Jing Cheng, regaining his composure, turned to Xu Yu.

Someone from the Jiang family came to fetch her, but she hopped on her motorcycle and took off. The Jiang family had already put out the word a month ago that they'd found their long-lost daughter, yet they only showed up today to collect her. They don't appear to be all that earnest. They haven't even been here for a full three days."

Xu Yu was still trying to make sense of it all.

Three days earlier, the boss had woken up from a car accident and, without explanation, insisted on heading to Riverside Village. Not even the old man could hold him back. He even went so far as to spend a fortune overnight to have this small courtyard built.

He didn’t come here to do anything except watch Miss Yem Xi's house down at the base of the mountain.

It didn't add up. The boss had never set foot in Riverside Village in his life, so how could he possibly know Miss Yem Xi?

And if he didn't know her, why was he so covertly fixated on her every move? It was borderline obsessive.

Despite Xu Yu's probing, the boss remained tight-lipped about the purpose of his visit.

After hearing Xu Yu's report, Jing Cheng casually opened the book in his hands and began leafing through it.

As Xu Yu turned to leave, Jing Cheng stopped him, "Pack up, we're heading to Yi City tomorrow morning."

...

The following morning, amid the sounds of crowing roosters and barking dogs, Yem Xi returned on her motorcycle.

Hsu Lirong and the driver, alerted by the engine's roar, stepped out of the car.

They had failed to catch up with Yem Xi the day before and had no clue where she might have gone.

With no other option, they had come back here to wait, not expecting that Yem Xi wouldn't return all night.

After spending the night in the car, it was only natural that their rest was less than ideal.

Hsu Lirong, looking weary, was not pleased with Yem Xi's expression. "Where have you been? You were gone all night! Do you realize that yesterday was the old lady's sixtieth birthday? She was planning to formally announce your identity!"